Where We’ve Been... 3rd Quarter 2014 Volume 1, Issue 3 Pueblo County Extension Pathways Backyard chicken production is booming across the country. The local food movement is expanding and with that comes more and more people desiring to raise their own food. Chickens, primarily for the purpose of fresh eggs, are seen by many as an easy way to raise your own food without requiring a large space. Partnering with the Pueblo City-County Library district and the Pueblo West Library, Tom Laca and Lois Illick of CSU Extension presented a class on raising chickens. Eighteen would be and present chicken owners were in attendance. The first item of business was gaining an understanding of who was attending the class and what were their poultry interests. Fifty percent of those present rated their knowledge of raising chickens as none to very little. Only two currently had chickens while the remainder had a desire to start raising chickens for egg production. Local laws and zoning ordinances were presented to ensure an understanding of who could and could not keep chickens and how many they are allowed. Next, were discussions about general terminology and where to buy chicks. Breed differences were explained and what breeds lay brown eggs versus white eggs. The housing of chickens from hatching to mature birds was detailed to ensure proper shelter. Feed and water needs were also discussed. Attendees learned about predators of chickens and eggs, as well as how to limit the possibilities of the animals getting to their chickens. A major portion of the class was how to handle the waste that comes from raising an animal. Composting the manure and incorporating it into the garden was a popular topic of discussion. Finally, a basic lesson on common health problems was presented to the class. While on the topic of health, Lois Illick (FCS Agent) presented an egg handling component to help ensure the safety of the food that they would be raising. At the end of the class the participants were polled as to their likelihood of raising chickens with over 80 percent stating that they would most likely raise chickens. As the trend to raise backyard chickens continues to grow, it is imperative that sound research based education is available in order to ensure successful, healthy and humane production of our food. https://www.flickr.com/photos/aaronbaugher/ https://www.flickr.com/photos/ emilygoodstein/ Pueblo County Learns Personal Poultry Production By Tom Laca, Extension Agent, Small Acreage/Range/ Natural Resource Management
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Where We’ve Been...Where We’ve Been... 3rd Quarter 2014 Volume 1, Issue 3 Pueblo County Extension Pathways Backyard chicken production is booming across the country. The local
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Where We’ve Been...
3rd Quarter 2014 Volume 1, Issue 3 Pueblo County
Extension Pathways
Backyard chicken production is booming across the
country. The local food movement is expanding and
with that comes more and more people desiring to raise
their own food. Chickens, primarily for the purpose of
fresh eggs, are seen by many as an easy way to raise your
own food without requiring a large space. Partnering
with the Pueblo City-County Library district and the
Pueblo West Library, Tom Laca and Lois Illick of CSU Extension presented a class on raising
chickens.
Eighteen would be and present chicken owners were in attendance. The first item of business
was gaining an understanding of who was attending the class and what were their poultry
interests. Fifty percent of those present rated their knowledge of raising chickens as none to
very little. Only two currently had chickens while the remainder had a desire to start raising
chickens for egg production. Local laws and zoning ordinances were presented to ensure an
understanding of who could and could not keep chickens and how many they are allowed.
Next, were discussions about general terminology and where to buy chicks. Breed differences
were explained and what breeds lay brown eggs versus white eggs. The housing of chickens
from hatching to mature birds was detailed to ensure proper shelter. Feed and water needs
were also discussed. Attendees learned about predators of chickens and eggs, as well as how
to limit the possibilities of the animals getting to their chickens. A major portion of the class
was how to handle the waste that comes from raising an animal. Composting
the manure and incorporating it into the garden was a popular topic of
discussion.
Finally, a basic lesson on common health problems was presented to the
class. While on the topic of health, Lois Illick (FCS Agent) presented an egg
handling component to help ensure the safety of the food that they would be
raising. At the end of the class the participants were polled as to their
likelihood of raising chickens with over 80 percent stating that they would
most likely raise chickens. As the trend to raise backyard chickens continues
to grow, it is imperative that sound research based education is available in
order to ensure successful, healthy and humane production of our food.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/aaronbaugher/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/emilygoodstein/
Pueblo County Learns Personal Poultry Production By Tom Laca, Extension Agent, Small Acreage/Range/
Natural Resource Management
Pueblo Youth Naturally Summer Camps Teach Outdoor Skills
By Linda McMulkin, PYN Coordinator
Pueblo Youth Naturally held three, 3-day summer day camps in July, 2014.
These camps attracted 81 middle and high school students and offered
opportunities to learn new skills and make new friends.
Locations for the 2014 summer activities included the Pueblo Mountain Park, Great Sand Dunes National
Park, and the kayak course on the Arkansas River in Pueblo. Activities included rock
climbing with staff from the Mountain Park Environmental Center, water safety,
kayaking and boogie boarding with the CSU Pueblo Outdoor Pursuits staff, a
geocaching course developed by CSU Extension STEM agent Anne Casey, team
building activities, and a “choose your own adventure” day at the Dunes.
Pueblo Youth Naturally is a county funded program that introduces middle-school
youth to local recreation opportunities, natural resource careers, life skills, the ecology of Colorado, and
environmental issues facing our state. The program is offered to all Pueblo County middle school students
through summer day-camps and on selected Saturdays during the school year. Twelve high school students
who participated while in middle school serve as volunteer counselors, assisting the county-paid staff present
and supervise activities and mentoring the younger students. Two CSU Extension
staff and five part time employees provide transportation, programs, and supervision
for the students.
New middle school members will be invited to join the school year program (offered
on selected Saturdays from October to April) and new 9th graders have the
opportunity to apply for a position as a counselor-in-training. Thanks to Pueblo
County for funding the Pueblo Youth Naturally program, the staff and volunteers
who assist with the summer camps, CSU Pueblo’s Outdoor Pursuits program, the
Mountain Park Environmental Center, and the National Park Service for helping make the 2014 PYN summer
camps a great success.
Pueblo County 4-H Members Succeed at Colorado State Fair
By Devin Engle, Extension Agent 4-H & Youth Development
The main mission of the 4-H Youth Development program is life skill development and one of the main ways
our members develop those skills is by working on a 4-H project. Completing a 4-H project is no easy task.
Members often put hours upon hours over the course of an entire year into their
projects. In addition, they are required to complete community service and pub-
lic speaking activities, and to engage in their club’s meetings and leadership ac-
tivities.
Many of our members challenged themselves to compete with their projects –
measuring their abilities against the standards of judges and their peers. This
year Pueblo County 4-H members did an outstanding job with their projects,
and many of them earned top honors at the Colorado State Fair.
Pueblo County had a number of Grand Champions at the 2014 Colorado State
Fair: Rocco Bottini (woodworking), Clara McClure (Artistic Clothing), Nick Johnston (Shooting Sports),